Posted by Bradley Chazin on Sun, Aug 01, 2010
Do I need survey to build a Garage in Minneapolis or St Paul?
The answer is YES.
This is a example of a garage built 30 years ago.
The owners of this NE Minneapolis home thought their fence line was their legal property line. As you can clearly see the fence is almost 10' past the lot line on the city's property and 3' on their neighbor's property . Its pretty easy to move a fence but not so much for a new Garage. In this example the old Garage is in a legal location but the fence needs to be moved if either party complains.
Can My Garage Location Be Grandfathered In?
The answer to this question is NO.
Even if you and your neighbor agree the Garage can stay in the same location as the old Garage the City Building Code of the day will take precedence.
For instance, In St Paul many of the old Garages were built one foot from the side yard lot line. Today all Garages need to be three feet from the lot line.
How Much Does A Survey Cost?
That depends on what city you live in.
- In Minneapolis and St Paul you only need to survey the closest lot line to the Garage.
- In St Louis Park you may need all four line staked regardless on the Garage location.
- In Robbinsdale you need all four lot lines and a scale drawing showing the location of the new Garage and home.
- Edina requires all 4 lines, a scale drawing of the Garage and home, and the property elevations shown on the drawing.
Therefore depending on the city you live in, the cost of a survey could be somewhere between $300 and $1,000.
Your Western Garage Builder representative will be able to explain what type of survey is required for your Garage project.
Posted by Bradley Chazin on Mon, May 03, 2010
Do I Need A Fire Wall For A Detached Garage In The City Of MInneapolis?
In the City of Minneapolis when you build a Detached Garage closer to the side property line than 5' you need a fire wall. Most Detached Garages built in the City of Minneapolis are 1' from the side lot line so a protected wall is required.This code was revised October 2008 by the Minneapolis Department of Inspections.
What About The Overhang For A Detached Garage In The City Of Mpls?
In the City of MinneapolisWhen the wall setback for a Detached Garage is less than 30" the eave measurement must not be more than 4". When the wall setback for a Detached Garage is 30" or greater the eave must be 24" away from the property line.
What Does A Firewall In The City Of Minneapolis Consist Of?
On the outside of the 2x4's under the siding we install 5/8" exterior grade fire rated gypsum board sheathing and another layerer of 5/8 gypsum board sheathing on the inside of the 2x4's.
If you would like to view the protected wall requirements for a Detached Garage from the Minneapolis Department of Inspections Click Here Minneapolis Detached Garage Fire Wall Requirements
Bradley ChazinPresidentWestern Construction, Inc.4301 Highway Seven #115Minneapolis, MN 55416 952-920-8888
Posted by Bradley Chazin on Sat, Apr 24, 2010
Free Storage Truss Garage Plans From Western Garage Builders
Western Garage Builders has been building Garages in Minnesota for over 60 years. Its no wonder then that one of the the most often asked question is "do you have free Storage Truss Garage Plans?" Usually the answer is NO. If you search the term storage truss garage plans in Google you'll find hundreds of results for storage truss garage plans. The cost of these Storage Truss Garage Plans usually start at over $200.00.
For a very limited time Western Garage Builders is offering our storage truss two car detached Garage plan for you to download absolutely free. CLICK HERE
Why Is Western Garage Builders Giving Storage Truss Garage Plans Away For FREE?
The answer is simple!
Western Wants To Build Your New Garage
At the beginning of the garage building process a lot of people looking to build a new storage truss garage will say to themselves "I can build my own garage, how hard can it be?" or "I can get my buddies together and build a garage in a weekend". These statement couldn't be further from the truth.
Just the permitting process can be overwhelming. The city will ask questions that stump most builders not to mention a homeowner.
How Can Western Garage Builders Afford To Give Garage Storage Truss Plans Away For free?
Simple, Western is so confident that after you look at everything that goes into building a garage you'll want a professional Garage Builder building your Garage.
Western Garage Builders will take care of
- All Required Lot Surveys
- All City Building Permits and Inspections
- Old Garage Removal
- New Concrete Garage Slab and Driveway
- The Complete Building of Your New Garage
- All Electrical and Electric Permits
- Automatic Overhead Door Opener
- And a Final Cleanup
To get your free Storage Truss Garage Plan CLICK HERE
and you will be re-directed.
Thank You,
Bradley ChazinWestern Construction, Inc.Minneapolis 952-920-8888Saint Paul 651-644-6900 Since 1949
Posted by Bradley Chazin on Sat, Feb 27, 2010
When Is The Best Time To Make A Home Improvement Investment?
NOW is the best time to make a Home Improvement investment.
You knew I was going to say that didn't you? Well of course you did, let me explain why I truly believe now is the best time to make that long awaited and probably needed Home Improvement.
Buy Low - Sell High
We've all heard that statement before. The best time to buy a stock is when nobody else is buying. The worse time to buy a stock is when its at its 52 week high.
The Same Rules For Home Improvements
A few years ago in the hey-day of home equity and a booming Home Improvement environment, prices were at their 50 year highs.
Today the cost of labor and material are nearing record lows. This makes NOW a ideal opportunity to get the best value for your Home Improvement dollar.
Is There Financing For My Home Improvement Project?
Yes, yes and again yes.
I hear all these stories about banks not wanting to borrow money for home improvements. Thats not true. Banks will borrow money but they wont if they don't think they'll get paid back.
Back in the late 70's early 80's when I started selling Home Improvements for my fathers construction company banks wanted to make sure they would get paid back.
They wanted to make sure you paid your bills, had a expense to debt ratio under 35% and you had 20% equity in you home. With these 3 things in place you could get a 18% interest rate on your Home Improvement Loan.
Let me say that again. With all the restrictions in place, the interest rates for Home Improvement loans were at 18%.
Home Improvement Financing at Record Lows 5.99%
In contrast to the 80's, Western Construction, Inc. can get you Home Improvement Financing for 5.99%. These interest rates are at record lows and you need to take advantage of them now. Rates will be going up.
Let Me Ask You A Question?
Is Now A Great Time To Invest In Home Improvements?
Please let me know your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of this artical.
Posted by Bradley Chazin on Thu, Feb 04, 2010
Concrete Is Not A Perfect Material
I'm in Las Vegas at the World Of Concrete taking classes for my Master Certificate. The first class was titled "Reinforcement for Slabs on Ground".
The instructer Jery Holland is a structual engeneer who's been in the cement business for over 40 years. The first thing he say's to the class of almost 1,000 cement men and women is "concrete isn't a perfect material". Not what I thought I was going to hear at a convention titled, The World of Concrete. He went on to explain.
- All Concrete Shrinks
- It shrinks more on top than the bottom
- All slabs curl
- All concrete cracks
- That's the nature of concrete
At this point of his presentation which was only 2 minuets I already knew I really liked this guy. His next point was again outsatnding.
- A joint or saw cut in a Garage Slab is a straight crack where we want it to be.
- A hiarline crack in a Garage Slab is a crack where the concrete wants it to be.
At this point in the presentation I thought to myself, what ever it cost me to come to Las Vegas was worth it.
Someone in the class (me)raised their hand and asked the question,
Can Steel Reinforcing Prevent Cracks in a MN Garage Slab?
- No! Steel inside the Garage Slab is typically taking a nap until a crack actually occurs-then it will start taking tension and doing its job.
- However, if it's in the proper amount and location, it can keep the cracks tight and servicable.
What Type of Reinforcing is recomended for a MN Garage Slab?
- Welded wire fabric or what we call wire mesh.
- Reinforcing bars or re-bar
- Polypropylene or steel fibers
How much can I expect my Twin Cities Garage Slab to shrink?
- A typical Minnesota garage slab will shrink about 1/8" every 20'.
How Do WE Mininize Garage Slab Shrinkage?
Are Contraction Joints needed In a MN Garage Slab?
-
Yes, the American Concrete Instute (ACI) recomends 36 times slab thikness
-
The Portland Cement Association (PCA) recomends 2'-2.5' per inch of garage slab thickness
The rest of the class got pretty technical so I wont bore you with the detail. If you'd like more information about Garages or Garage Slabs contact Western Construction.
Thanks,
Bradley Chazin
President
Western Construction, Inc.
Mpls 952-920-8888
St Paul 651-644-6900
Brad@WesternGarage.com
Posted by Bradley Chazin on Tue, Sep 01, 2009
The buzz among Minnesota builders and Remodeler’s these days is value engineering.
What exactly does that mean?
Value Engineering is identifying ways to improve construction and design so that the value of the product increased relative to the investment.
The problem today is, in an effort to keep cost down many Minnesota Builders and Remodelers are substituting cost for quality.
Let’s look at some aspects of a Minnesota Room Addition to see what would be the best value;
- The minimum R value in a wall is R-15 Western recommends R-19
- The minimum R value in a ceiling is R-38 Western recommends R-44
- The minimum R value in a floor is R-30 Western recommends R-38
Why the increase in the R value? It is one of the easiest and best ways to save long term heating and cooling costs and the return on investment is quickly recovered.
What would be the best value in a new or Replacement Window in the Twin Cities?
- The minimum U value in a window is U-1.20 For Minnesota windows Western recommends U-0.30
U-factor measures how well a product prevents heat from escaping. The rate of heat loss is indicated in terms of the U-factor (U-value) of a window assembly. U-Factor ratings generally fall between 0.20 and 1.20. The lower the U-value, the greater a window’s resistance to heat flow and the better its insulating value.
What does the term ‘Solar Heat Gain Coefficient’ mean for Minnesota windows and what rating does Western recommend?
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) measures how well a product blocks heat caused by sunlight. The SHGC is the fraction of incident solar radiation admitted through a window (both directly transmitted and absorbed) and subsequently released inward. SHGC is expressed as a number between 0 and 1. The lower a window’s solar heat gain coefficient, the less solar heat it transmits in the house.
With a U value of .30 or lower AND a SHGC of .30 or lower you can qualify for the federal energy tax credit that will credit the homeowner 30% of the cost of the windows up to $1500.00. And remember this is on top of the savings in heating and cooling costs.
Roof sheathing is the first step to a quality Minnesota Roof. What roof sheathing does Western recommend?
- The minimum roof sheathing required on a Minnesota roof is 3/8” Western recommends 7/16” -5/8” or thicker.
The 2007 (current) Minnesota State Building code (1309.0905, R905.2.1) requires solidly sheathed decks or 1 inch thick nominal wood boards.
What’s the best vinyl siding to use on a Minneapolis- St Paul home?
- Builders grade vinyl siding v/s premium vinyl siding. Western recommends. 0.44 Or thicker.
Thickness is the key here. A thin vinyl siding will be prone to holes from hail or even hitting it with the line from a weed eater. A thicker siding will be much more durable and carry a longer warranty.
What’s the best fiber cement siding to use on Twin Cities homes?
- James Hardie fiber cement siding v/s off brand fiber cement siding. Western recommends James Hardie siding products.
James Hardie fiber cement siding is designed to last a lifetime, resisting cracking, rotting, hail damage, termites and many other possible problems. James Hardie siding products are produced from all natural, non-toxic, renewable materials that make for a highly durable alternative to vinyl and wood siding products. It also carries a 50-Year Express Limited Transferable Product Warranty.
Be sure to check back often for more ways to make your project more energy efficient, durable, beautiful and to get the most bang for your buck.